


No Rest In This World

by betsib, Hamlin



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragon Age, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-26 19:26:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3861904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betsib/pseuds/betsib, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamlin/pseuds/Hamlin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico had no idea how things had turned out this way. He had come to Kirkwall with Hazel to flee the Blight and hopefully find a cure for Tranquility, but he hadn't planned on getting caught in a war between mages and templars. The resulting explosion was definitely not his fault. Even if he was the only survivor. Dragon Age AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Rest In This World

**Author's Note:**

> Hamlin and I (Betsib) have been discussing this AU since last October and finally gotten to the point where we have something to show for it. The story has references to all Dragon Age games, including Inquisition, but there shouldn't be any major spoilers. We hope that this is understandable even for people who haven't played the game, but if anything is unclear [the Dragon Age Wiki](http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki) is your friend.
> 
> Warnings and rating are mostly due to future chapters. All art by [Hamlin](http://hamlinart.tumblr.com/) and all text by me. : )

_Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him._  
_Foul and corrupt are they_  
_Who have taken His gift_  
_And turned it against His children._  
_They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones._  
_They shall find no rest in this world_  
_Or beyond._  
-Chant of Light: Canticle of Transfigurations 1:2

***

Kirkwall wasn’t the most hospitable of places.

Nico had heard the stories, of course, but the giant statues of suffering slaves guarding the way into the city still took him by surprise, and made him feel like he really, really wanted to turn around and go somewhere else. Unfortunately that wasn’t an option. Even if they hadn’t been on a mission there was no way off the ship unless you were a really good swimmer.

“You okay?” Hazel asked him. She was busy sharpening a thick dagger, occasionally glancing nervously towards the open sky. It had been almost a year since they left the dwarven city of Orzammar, but Hazel was still uncomfortable without stone or at least a roof above her head. She couldn’t stay below deck for long without puking, though.

“I’m fine. I just wish we didn’t have to come here,” Nico said, sitting down beside her with a sigh.

“We didn’t have many options,” Hazel said. “But I’m worried too. With so many templars around...”

“We’ll keep a low profile,” Nico assured her, even though his ears twitched at the very mention of templars. “Humans tend not to notice dwarves or elves. We can use that.”

“Are you sure? We do stand out with the tattoos,” Hazel said uncertainly. She made a vague gesture towards their faces.

“Nobody’s asked anything so far. We’ll be fine,” Nico tried, but he could see Hazel knew he didn’t quite believe it himself. Still, Kirkwall was safer than Ferelden, at least for the moment.

About an hour later they finally got off the boat, along with all the other refugees. The boat had been full of them, but unfortunately so was the port. There were people everywhere, mostly humans as far as Nico could see. Some were crying, others arguing, but most were just sitting still in small groups, like they were waiting for something. That was worrying, to say the least.

“They’re not letting anyone into the city,” Hazel said, voicing Nico’s concern. “There must be too many refugees.”

She was right, Nico realized. The gates towards the city were shut, guarded by both templars in full armour and what had to be Kirkwall’s own guardsmen. In front of them were a bunch of people trying to bargain or beg to be let inside. It was worse than he’d thought, but they couldn’t stay at the docks, either.

“I can get us in, come nightfall,” Nico pondered.

“Nico, no. It’s too dangerous. If they catch you...” Hazel said, shaking her head. “We’ll find another way. There must be someone we can bribe.”

“We don’t have much to bargain with,” Nico pointed out. “Unless you count ourselves. And I’m not going to sell us into servitude.”

“Some of the runes we stole in Orzammar are pretty valuable,” Hazel said. “Maybe if I enchanted some weapons they’d let us in.”

“We still have to be...” Nico begun, but was interrupted.

“Hey! Inkfaces!” someone from the crowd shouted. “Crawl back to whatever hole you came from! We don’t want you here!”

“Come on,” Nico said, leaning down to take Hazel’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“If I had a copper bit for every time I heard that, I would have enough money to buy the whole city,” Hazel sighed.

They found a solitary corner some ways away from where the masses of refugees were gathered in front of the gate, but Nico could still hear them shouting, demanding to be let into the city. Nico didn’t know why they bothered. If the guards hadn’t already let them in, shouting wasn’t going to change anything.

“This is not a good place for us to be,” Hazel sighed. “I wish there was another way.”

“You didn’t have to come,” Nico said. “I bet there are still ships stopping by, if you want to go back.”

She punched him lightly in the side. “I told you, we’re in this together. There’s nothing for me to go back to,” she said sternly. “Besides, if I die without ever having to get on another ship, I’ll die happy.”

“I’d rather you didn’t die at all,” Nico smiled, putting an arm around her. “Let’s just wait until nightfall, and see what happens.”

***

Night came, and the refugees grew even more restless. Nico was a bit worried someone might turn their frustration towards him and Hazel, but thankfully nobody did more than glare towards them. The guards weren’t so lucky.

Nico wasn’t sure how the riot begun, but all of the sudden something was on fire in front of the gates. People were shouting and screaming as they tried to force their way through the line of guards. Nico and Hazel gave each other a look, then quietly approached the mayhem, walking slowly and sticking to the shadows, trying their best not to bring attention to themselves. Hazel was a lot better at it than Nico was, but the guards were busy with the rowdier refugees and didn’t notice them.

The gates were still shut, so it might not have worked if the guards hadn’t suddenly started shouting for reinforcements. Looking behind him, Nico could see why they were so scared all of the sudden. Apparently he hadn’t been the only mage on the ship.

“Keep back!” the templars shouted towards the panicked refugees, most of whom were now trying to get away from the fight rather than through it. The word “Maleficar” echoed through the night. Hazel lightly touched his arm as Nico gritted his teeth.

Nico and Hazel stayed in the shadows close to the gate, waiting until it opened to bring the reinforcements through. As the templars rushed past them to take down the mages, Nico and Hazel calmly walked through the gate and into the city. Nobody noticed them until they were already inside.

“That worked well,” Hazel said. Her smile was a bit forced after what they had just witnessed, but she had made the effort for his sake, so Nico did his best to answer it. It probably didn’t work too well, because she sighed. “Let’s find somewhere to sleep. I’m tired.”

“The taverns are probably all full,” Nico guessed as they started walking away from the gate, not knowing where they were going but wanting to but some distance between themselves and what was happening on the other side. “Someone might be willing to house us in the alienage if we pay them, though.”

Hazel frowned. “But you hate those places.”

“With a passion,” Nico agreed. “But every corner of the city will be full of human refugees. Hiding amongst the elves in the alienage is our best bet.”

“How do we find it?” Hazel asked. Nico looked around. A lone and very bored-looking templar was guarding the entrance to a fancy building not far from them. He had taken his helmet off and was stretching his neck at the moment. Nico took a deep breath and walked up to him.

“Excuse me, serah,” he said, as polite as he could possibly be towards a mage-hunter. “I’m afraid we’re terribly lost. Could you tell us how to get back to the alienage from here?”

The templar, a young, blond guy with a scar on his lip, looked a bit surprised.

“Sure, just follow that road to get to Lowtown, then go left,” he said, eyeing them curiously. “You’re Dalish, right? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Not surprising. We don’t go out much, hence the getting lost,” Nico lied, hoping he didn’t sound nervous. “Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime,” the guy smiled.

Nico took Hazel’s hand and begun walking in the direction the templar had said, trying hard to keep an even pace and not run. He could feel the templar’s eyes on his back, but the guy didn’t follow them. Thank Mythal.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Hazel mumbled beside him, and Nico laughed nervously.

“It’s not like they can tell I’m a mage by just looking at me, and we needed directions,” he said.

Following the templar’s directions, they found their way easily enough, following the road as the buildings gradually became more run down and shabby. The alienage was, as always, terrible. It was the worst kind of slum, and smelled awful. There was a big tree painted in colorful shades in the middle of it, the centerpiece of a small marketplace, and Nico just felt pity for the poor city elves wanting to return to their roots. Then again, that was a struggle for his people as well. The Dalish may have called themselves the keepers of elven history, but not much was known to them either. Still, the forests he’d grown up in smelled a lot better if nothing else.

It was late, so the place was quiet, save a rhythmic hammering coming from a shack that could barely be called a house. Figuring that was their best bet, he walked up to the door and knocked.

A few moments later the door opened. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be quiet, sorry and all that,” the brown-haired elf in the doorway said irritatedly, then actually looked up (or in Hazel’s case down) at them. “Who are you?”

“Fereldan refugees,” Nico explained. “We were wondering if you knew somewhere we could stay for a while.”

“We can pay,” Hazel added. “Not much, but we have some coin.”

The elf looked completely thrown off for a second, then grinned. “I could use some coin,” he said, opening the door wider. “Good timing, too. I’m expecting debt collectors in the morning.”

“Debt collectors?” Hazel frowned. “Why?”

“Tiny miscalculation on my part. I made some grenades and assumed those idiots would be smart enough not to use them indoors,” the city elf said. “They’re demanding their money back, and I don’t have it anymore.”

Nico frowned. “Why not?”

“I spent it on unnecessary things like food, clothes and other stuff,” the guy shrugged.

“How much do you owe them?” Hazel asked, glancing at Nico. He didn’t know what to tell her. Hazel was much better with money than he was, after all.

“Not much. Fifty silvers,” the guy answered, and Nico narrowed his eyes.

“That’s steep for a grenade.”

“Also the booty they failed to get away with,” the guy said. “And my life. Small things like that.”

“And if we pay off your debt, you’ll let us stay?” Hazel asked.

“That’s the deal,” the guy nodded.

“Alright,” Hazel said after giving Nico a look. “But we’re paying the collectors directly.”

“Hey, I’m offended. I wouldn’t cheat any poor refugees,” the guy said, stepping back to let them in. “I’m Leo, by the way.”

“Hazel,” Hazel introduced herself. “This is Nico.”

Nico looked around in the shack. It wasn’t much of a house, but it was a roof above their head and a reasonably safe place to sleep, which was more than most refugees got.

“You’re an odd pair,” Leo said, studying them curiously. “What are you two doing in Kirkwall?”

“Did you miss the 'refugees'-part?” Nico asked dryly. “There’s a Blight going on in Ferelden. A lot of people are fleeing the country.”

“Right, I forgot. That's why this city is crawling with elves and dwarves. Except, you know, _it isn’t_ , because they only let in humans and really rich folk,” Leo said, rolling his eyes. “But fine. Keep your secrets. I’m just interested in your coin.”

“Funny. Nobody in Orzammar was that honest,” Hazel said, smiling slightly.

“That’s me, honest and honorable,” Leo grinned. “Make yourselves at home. You look exhausted.”

Nico nodded, turning towards Hazel. “Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

“I’m getting the feeling you don’t trust me,” Leo said, and Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Would you?”

Leo laughed at that. “Point taken,” he said. “Good night.”

Leo only had one bed, or something barely worthy of the name, so Nico and Hazel settled on the floor. She rested her head in his lap, quickly falling asleep. Nico looked down on her, gently stroking a stray hair away from her face. He envied her the dreamless rest.

He on the other hand sat vigil until the morning.

***

Jason was bored.

There had apparently been some sort of struggle with the refugees at the harbour, but of course he had been the one left on guard duty. The most exciting thing that had happened all night was that Dalish elf and the dwarf-girl asking directions.

An elf and a dwarf… that was a pretty strange relationship. Jason was surprised he hadn’t seen or heard anything about them before, but what happened in the alienage tended to stay there. Unless there was magic involved. Jason feared the day a blood mage would be discovered in the alienage. The more fanatic of his order would probably want the place burned down.

He heard steps, and looked up to see Reyna approaching. She smiled at him, and the mabari at her side walked up and sniffed his feet. Jason smiled as he reached down to pet the dog’s head.

“Bored, Jason?” Reyna asked, leaning against the wall beside him.

“Out of my mind,” Jason nodded. “How’s the situation among the refugees?”

“They’re calm, for now,” Reyna said, sighing. “The maleficarum aside, the trouble-makers who started it had to be put down.”

Jason cringed. “That’s not good. The Fereldans will remember that.”

“I know. We’ll need a long-term solution soon,” Reyna nodded. “But the city is ridiculously overpopulated already. I don’t know what we can do.”

“There’s plenty of space in the Gallows with the mages,” Jason frowned. “If only...”

“Jason, you _know_ that’s a bad idea,” Reyna said sternly.

Jason sighed. “I know.”

They didn’t say anything else for a while.

***

Nico woke Hazel up as Leo’s debt collectors came calling the following morning. He was tired from not sleeping at all during the night, but he figured he could sleep when this was dealt with.

“Leo, my dear friend,” the guy at the door said, smiling with way too many yellowed teeth. He was human, and smelled like he lived in a sewer. “I hope you have your payment prepared. If not, I know a guy who deals in used goods in Tevinter.”

“I’ve got it covered. I hope,” Leo said, glancing at Nico and Hazel.

“Oh, new friends?” the guy said, looking up at them with interest. “I haven’t seen them around.”

“Distant relations,” Leo said. “ _Very_ distant.”

“How much does he owe you?” Hazel asked, and Nico really didn’t like the guy’s grin.

“Well, I think you might be able to pay it quite nicely,” he said. “I’ve never had a dwarf before.”

“How much, in cash?” Nico asked, willing himself to remain where he was. Such taunts irked him more than they did Hazel, he knew that. She was used to it from growing up in the slums of Orzammar. He wasn’t.

“Fifty silvers,” the guy said, and Nico blinked. _Huh_. Leo had actually spoken the truth then. Go figure.

“I’ll give you ten, and a Rune of Impact for your sword,” Hazel said.

The guys eyes went wide, then narrowed. “Show me this rune.”

Hazel brought it out her pocket and held it up. “Runes aren’t easy to come by. It’s a good deal,” she said.

“I can think of a way to sweeten it,” the guy said, leering again, and this time Nico did take a step forward.

“So can I,” he said, glaring at the guy. “If I were you I’d take it and run.”

He didn’t use any magic to make himself more threatening. He didn’t have to. The magic in his blood was powerful enough to make people uncomfortable without knowing why, and usually that was enough.

This time was no exception.

“Fine,” the guy said angrily, accepting the money and the rune. “But you better watch yourself, Leo. Next time things will get much worse.”

With that he disappeared out the door, and Nico let out a deep breath.

“Wow. I’m glad you two turned up,” Leo said, looking a bit shaken even though he grinned. “He would have sold me to Tevinter if you hadn’t been here.”

“So we heard. There are still slave-traders in Kirkwall, then?” Nico asked.

“Not officially,” Leo shrugged. “Unofficially, however, a lot of refugees are probably going to be kidnapped and shipped off to solve the overpopulation problem and bring a nice little profit to the rich people who run this place.”

Hazel sighed. “It’s the same everywhere. Is there any place where everyone’s equal?”

“How about the afterlife? The Maker’s bosom and all that,” Leo grinned. “So what’s your story, anyway? How did a Dalish elf end up traveling with a casteless dwarf?”

“We met in the Deep Roads,” Nico said, watching Leo’s eyes go wide.

“Wait, hold up,” he said. “The same Deep Roads where the darkspawn come from? Deep, dark tunnels full of snarling monsters hundreds of feet below ground? Why would _anyone_ go there voluntarily?”

“It wasn’t exactly a choice,” Hazel sighed. “Look, it’s a long story.”

“But it sounds like an interesting one,” Leo grinned. “Fine, don’t tell me. But if you come with me to the Hanged Man tonight I bet I could get at least one of you drunk enough to spill all the juicy details.”

“There _are_ no juicy details,” Nico said, then yawned widely. Hazel gently took his arm.

“Go get some sleep. I’ll keep watch,” she smiled.

Leo laughed. “Don’t worry. Even here in the alienage it’s unlikely you’ll get robbed during the day. At least not if you’re home.”

He brushed off his pants. “I’m heading to the market to get some food. I suppose today is my treat, since you took care of that whole debt-situation. I’ll be back in a few,” Leo said, then he walked out the door.

Hazel frowned. “I would not have left two strangers alone in my house like that.”

“Why not? There’s nothing in this house worth stealing,” Nico said as he walked back to the corner Hazel had slept in before and sank down on the floor. Hazel sat down beside him.

“True, and I guess he knows we need a roof over our heads. Or at least I do,” she said, looking up at the roof in question and making a face at it. “Though that’s not exactly solid. If it rains we’re going to get soaked.”

“If we’re staying here, then we’ll fix it,” Nico said as he settled on the floor. “I don’t mind it so much. It’s less stuffy this way.”

“For me it’s not stuffy enough,” Hazel laughed, then leaned down to give him a light kiss on his forehead. “Sleep well.”

Nico doubted he’d be able to, but he nodded and closed his eyes. “I’ll try.”

Hazel couldn’t understand what sleeping could mean for a mage. Dwarves didn’t dream, not like humans and elves did. They were separate from the Fade. They couldn’t become possessed. They couldn’t become _tranquil_.

Nico tried to chase away the image of Bianca’s blank face as he slowly fell into sleep.

Into the Fade.

***

They spent the following day inside, laying low, even though Leo assured them nobody would come looking.

“This is the alienage,” he said. “Nobody here is going to tell the guards squat, and nobody outside is going to notice you.”

Nico suspected he was right. The following night he and Hazel decided to go have a look at the city, promising to meet Leo for a drink later.

“I would have given you the tour, but I have to get these explosives done, or the Carta will wring my neck,” he said, giving Hazel a look. “You wouldn’t happen to have some sway with them, would you?”

“Not every dwarf is part of the Carta, you know,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Leo shrugged. “Worth a try. See you at the Hanged Man.”

He went back to work, and Hazel and Nico went out into the night.

Leo had warned them that the streets were dangerous at night, and Nico quickly realized he’d probably been right. There were plenty of suspicious people glaring at them from the shadows, but nobody attacked. Nico supposed they looked too poor to be worth the trouble. The biggest danger they faced was getting lost.

After a few hours of aimlessly walking around, they managed to find their way to the Hanged Man, helped by the large sign outside that was, unsurprisingly, shaped like a man hung by his feet. The smell of sweat and alcohol made Nico wrinkle his nose even before they had entered the building.

Once they did enter, they were met by a room full of drunken people talking loudly over each other. Leo was sitting in a corner, drinking with a tall, blond man, but he waved towards them when they entered. As they approached, Nico was shocked to realize Leo’s companion was the templar that had given them directions when they arrived in Kirkwall a few days earlier. He wasn’t in his armour, but in Nico’s experience templars were _never_ off duty.

Nico and Hazel exchanged a look, and she took his arm, shaking her head slightly. She was right, Nico supposed. Leo had already waved them over, and the templar had seen them. Leaving now would just look suspicious.

“Hey,” Leo greeted them as they sat down. “I was beginning to think you’d been kidnapped. Or killed. That happens a lot around here, you know.”

“Unfortunately true,” the templar nodded. “Wait, I remember you two from the other night.”

Nico had been hoping he wouldn’t have recognized them, but no such luck, apparently. Hazel gave the templar a slightly stale smile. “Yes, thank you for helping us out.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” the templar smiled, and Nico pretended to look around the tavern, just to hide his expression. Since when had templars ever helped anyone? Apart from giving directions, that was.

“I didn’t know you had met,” Leo said. “Well, than means we can skip the introductions and go straight to the beer, right?”

“We haven’t actually been introduced,” the templar said. “My name is Jason. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Hazel, this is Nico,” Hazel said, answering for both of them. “And likewise.”

“I thought templars never took the armour off,” Nico said, unable to help himself. “Isn’t it against the law or something?”

He hadn’t meant it as a joke, but Jason laughed. “No, contrary to popular belief, we do have nights off,” he said. “Sometimes, at least. The command prefers we leave our uniforms in the barracks when we do.”

“Of course they do. Imagine a piss drunk templar in full armour,” Leo grinned. “Not that you would end up like that, but all the others.”

“Not a pretty picture,” Jason agreed. Nico privately thought he’d prefer it if all the templars were drunk. It would be easier to fight them that way.

“Anyway, I should head back,” Jason said, getting on his feet. “It was nice to meet you both, again. And try not to blow up the alienage, Leo.”

“No promises,” Leo said. Jason shook his head, then walked out. Nico tried to hide his sigh of relief, but he doubted anyone was paying all that much attention to him.

“I didn’t realize you had contacts with the templars,” Nico said, and Leo laughed.

“I have contacts with _everyone_. What can I say, I’m a popular guy,” he said. “My inventions help, of course. The only thing I can’t do is enchanting.”

“I can,” Hazel said, and Leo looked up at her in surprise.

“Really?” he asked. “Wow. You wouldn’t happen to be looking for a job, would you?”

“Depends on the pay,” Hazel said, giving Nico a look. He shrugged. They had been planning on looking for work anyway, and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“Awesome,” Leo grinned, then turned towards Nico. “I don’t suppose you are some kind of wonderchild as well?”

“No,” Nico said, shaking his head. “A decent fighter, but that’s it.”

It technically wasn’t a lie. He was a decent fighter, even without magic.The magic did help, though.

“Not a bad thing to be, in this city,” Leo said thoughtfully. “I have a friend… well, a friend of a friend, really, who’s looking for people, if you’re interesting. Nothing too illegal, either.”

Nico shrugged. “Depends on the pay,” he said, and Leo laughed.

“Doesn’t it always? Come on, let’s have another drink.”

***

Leo’s “friend of a friend” turned out to be a human named Butch. He was large, huge really, led a small gang of smugglers and needed someone to protect his shipments. He gave Nico a sceptical look when they first met, clearly assessing the pros and cons of hiring him.

“Leo says you can handle yourself in a fight. That true?” he asked, and Nico nodded.

“People underestimate me,” Nico said truthfully, and Butch gave him an amused smile.

“So long as you can use it to your advantage,” he said. “You’re hired. Try not to get killed.”

In the end it turned out to be a pretty easy job. Sometimes he moved stuff from the docks to darktown and vice versa, sometimes other people did the moving and he watched from the shadows. It was rare that he got attacked, and he usually had no trouble defeating the assailants, or run away with the packages if they were small enough. As the weeks went by, the stream of refugees dimmed out, as everyone who could afford to flee Ferelden had already arrived. That meant more guards on the streets, making it both safer and more dangerous for smugglers, but Nico knew how to stay out of sight.

Still, Hazel worried about him, and sometimes insisted on coming along. She had her own work, enchanting weapons Leo made or other stuff his contacts asked her to. Apparently the Carta had even offered her a more lucrative position with them, but so far she had refused. Nico suspected she was afraid things would turn out like in Orzammar.

“The streets seem unusually quiet,” Hazel commented, shortly after they had picked up the latest package at the docks. They had passed some people on the way there, but now the streets were empty, and the docks were never empty, even at night.

“Let’s get back, quickly,” Nico said, getting a bad feeling about it.

They hurried along, but suddenly four masked people stepped out in front of them. A quick glance around told Nico they were surrounded.

“Surrender, and you won’t get hurt,” what appeared to be their leader said, with a heavy accent Nico didn’t recognize at first. “Undamaged goods fetch a better prize.”

“Slavers,” Nico muttered. The accent was from Tevinter, then. He and Hazel carefully maneuvered themselves so their backs were facing each other. They had fought groups before, but these odds really weren’t in their favour.

“No? Such a shame,” the leader said. “Get them!”

Everyone attacked at once, which was a stroke of luck. Hazel ducked without having to be told as Nico sent a Mind Blast all around them, momentarily knocking the attackers back. They used the moment of confusion to get past the slavers in front of them. There was little chance of outrunning them, but at least they weren’t surrounded anymore. However, the odds were still bad.

“Go! Get them!” the leader shouted, and the slavers reacted much faster than Nico would have liked them to. Moments later Nico and Hazel found themselves in an alley with their backs against a wall. Still, it was a marginally better position than they had begun this battle in.

Nico gritted his teeth, casting spell after spell to keep the attackers back, while Hazel took care of the ones that managed to get close anyhow. They were vastly outnumbered. There was a way out, possibly, but it was risky. Nico frowned. At this rate he might not have a choice.

Suddenly a wall of ice cut through the slavers from behind. Nico could see three new figures, (an elf, a human and a _qunari_ of all things) having joined the fight. At least one of them was a mage. Nico didn’t know who they were, but he was infinitely grateful for their timing.

“Hello there,” one of them grinned. The mage, by the look of things, a dark haired human that seemed uncomfortably familiar, even with only the quick glances Nico had time for between attacks. “Ran into a bit of trouble?”

“You could say that,” Nico growled, casting another confusion spell to give Hazel a better chance to stab the guys in the back.

“Don’t worry, we’re here to help you escape. A life of freedom awaits,” the guy laughed as he shot ice bolts at the slavers, and there was definitely something familiar about him. “Though you might not want to head to Ferelden. There’s a Blight going on.”

“I’m aware,” Nico said, ducking as one of the slavers attacked him. A hard hit with his staff into the slaver’s forehead took care if that problem.

“Are you nervous?” the guy asked, like they weren’t in the middle of a fight. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I’m an innocent mage on the run, as well, and...”

“You’ve never been innocent, Percy,” the elf he was with said with a laugh, and Nico froze for half a second, almost losing his head in the process. He scowled as he ducked the blow at the last moment and retaliated. _Percy!_ Of course it was Percy. Nico would have realized it immediately if he’d had any reason to think Percy might be around.

“But Piper,” Percy tried, and she just laughed.

“Don’t even try,” she said, and Nico silently agreed with her.

The fight was over pretty quickly after that, and Percy twirled his staff a few times with a grin as the last slaver fell.

“Well, then. Ready to leave this sad excuse for a city behind?”

Hazel came up beside Nico, frowning. “We just got here,”she said. “Thanks for the help, but I think you’re confusing us for someone else.”

“She’s right, Percy,” the qunari said. “They’re not from the circle. Dwarves can’t be mages.”

“Yeah, but he’s a mage,” Percy said, pointing towards Nico. “How many apostates can there be running around in this city, anyway?”

“More than you’d expect, apparently,” Nico said. “What are you even doing here?”

“Helping innocent mages escape evil templars,” Percy grinned. “It’s all very noble. We...”

He trailed off, grin slowly fading. “Nico?” he finally asked, suddenly sounding very small.

“Hello, Percy,” Nico said tiredly.

“But...” Percy said. “But what are you doing here? Kirkwall is full of templars. It’s dangerous.”

Nico scoffed. “I can take care of myself,” he said.

“You know each other?” the elven girl Percy called Piper asked.

“Yeah, it’s...it’s a long story,” Percy said uncertainly, then frowned. “So if you’re not the mages we were supposed to smuggle out of the city, where are they?”

“Considering the amount of slavers around, they may have been captured,” Hazel suggested. “Or they might have run away.”

“That’s what we should do before the guards show up,” Nico said, looking around at the mess. He had no sympathy for slavers, but he’d rather not go to jail for killing them. Or to the Circle, as the case may be.

“I doubt anyone would care. People die on the streets of Lowtown every night,” Piper said.

Percy gave them an uncertain look. “I don’t suppose you’d want to help us find them?” he said. “For old time’s sake?”

“You want me to _rescue_ _mages_ with you?” Nico said bitterly. “ _For old time’s sake?_ ”

Percy had the decency to look ashamed. “Forget it,” he told the ground. “I just thought… never mind.”

“I don’t know what’s going on here,” the qunari said. “But this slaver-ring seems extensive. We could use the help.”

Hazel touched Nico’s arm, and he sighed. “Fine. For the mages’ sake,” he said. “They picked a terrible time to flee.”

“But they _wanted_ to flee, and that’s what counts,” Percy said. “Let’s search the bodies and see if they have anything useful on them.”

“Or valuable,” Piper added. “No point in it going to waste.”

“Valuable things are _always_ useful,” Percy said absently, already leaning over the nearest body.

Nico scoffed and went directly to the leaders, figuring that if there were any clues to be had, they would be on him. Hazel kneeled down beside him.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, and Nico took a deep breath, then nodded.

“I’m fine. I’m just a bit shocked,” he admitted. “It’ll pass.”

“Good,” she said, giving him a small smile in encouragement. “Find anything?”

Nico fished out a piece of paper from the slavers pocket. It was a short message, and he quickly read through it. “They are supposed to meet in Darktown with the victims to wait for an opportunity to bring them back to ‘the holding caves’, whatever those are.”

“Darktown it is, then,” Percy said, dusting off his knees. “You two coming?”

Nico nodded. “We have business there anyway.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
